How To Build and Maintain Your Brand’s Online Reputation

Do you know what customers are saying about your business online? Are you aware of what comes up in search engine result pages when prospects search for your business? Whether you are a big brand or a small business, owning the online reputation of your business can be quite difficult.

According to a study conducted by Digital UK in 2017, out of world’s top 50 brands, 14 brands have negative links in the first 2 pages of Google search results.

With the online review sites, news articles, and social media sites, there is a high chance that your online brand presence takes a negative route without you being aware of it. However, it is important to remember that you shouldn’t only try to manage what your customers are saying about your business. Instead, when you opt for brand promotion, you should be more concerned with building a positive online reputation.

Why is it important? It is vital for a business to have a positive online reputation because customers are more likely to interact with them as opposed to one with a negative reputation. 92% of consumers read online reviews before making buying decisions. If you have positive reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers, they will find it easier to trust you and you will gain customer loyalty. People seek a positive experience and your online reputation will show them what you can offer.

Therefore, you need to figure out effective ways of building your reputation. So, what are they?

Invest in Content Marketing

There is one thing you should understand right off the bat; not all content is created equal and the best way of building your online reputation is to create great content. Gone are the days when you could simply lure customers with a catchy jingle. Now, customers expect a business to put in a certain level of effort, especially if it can turn them into paying customers. Here are the types of content that search engines love and can help you with your brand building strategy:

• Share your customers’ success stories on sites like Storify, Wattpad, and Scribd
• Create a blog on your website or third party sites like WordPress, Blogger to provide information about your services and industry.
• Create presentation and videos to solve problems for your readers.

Engage Your Customers on Social media

When it comes to social media marketing, there are various factors you need to consider for brand promotion. Social media is the most powerful platform to create brand awareness. To become an authorised brand on social media, you need to follow a consistent posting schedule and engage with your audience regularly through feedbacks and brand mentions.

Engagement is one of the biggest problems for business owners because they opt for a professional approach. Rather, utilising social media is more personal and will inject a human element into your business, which will make it more relatable to your audience. Your attitude will influence your online reputation.

Reviews and Perception

As per Google, the most complex and abstract aspect of building your online reputation is the public perception and reviews. Only those who are not familiar with the ins and outs of online brand marketing will not give any weight to online reviews.

Digital word of mouth is regarded as the most persuasive form of brand promotion and it can have a massive impact on the decision of the average consumer. You can ask your customers to give positive reviews by offering an excellent product or service and ensuring a smooth experience.

Be Proactive & Monitor Brand Mentions

Don’t wait for the negatives to come, before you start to repair your online reputation. Be proactive and make it a priority to monitor your brand mentions. Every time when someone mentions your brand, you should be alerted to see what they are saying and how it affects you. This is especially useful in the case of negative reviews because it will allow you to take steps immediately before it can have a damaging impact on your online reputation. Take help of tools like Google Alerts, Mention, Trackur, etc. to monitor the real-time presence of your brand.

Building a positive online reputation for your business is not merely an option – it’s a necessity. As long as you manage your online reputation, your business will see an increase in sales and profits in the long run.